Ghosts in the Sky - a photo on Flickriver

Ghosts in the Sky

            Up until now I'd been so single minded that I hadn't even registered them at all. I mean, seriously, how can you not see mountains? And away from Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Mount Brandon is the highest in Ireland.  It was only as I arrived at the junction, fully intending to turn right and retrace my route back to Clogher Head for the last ninety odd minutes that I finally noticed there were big white lumps at the back of the peninsula, peering out of the gloom like ghosts. Had they been white when I'd arrived here a few hours ago? I didn't think so, but I couldn't really remember. I'd been so engrossed in plans that lay in the opposite direction, Ballydavid Head and the Three Sisters, that somehow Mount Brandon and its ridges had eluded me entirely. But the moment I saw them, plan B was immediately shelved.  Clogher Head could wait a little longer. I turned left; pointlessly as it would soon become apparent. A slow four mile circuit that eventually brought me to a place I recognised from earlier, just a few hundred yards down the road from where I'd started.  If only I’d turned right.

We don't have mountains where I live. Not even close. The nearest ones are more than two hundred miles away in South Wales. Snow is almost unheard of at home too. Suddenly and unexpectedly I had both. I had come to the Dingle Peninsula to photograph the coast, but those spectral titans were competing for my attention. Not for the first time either. I'd already been sidetracked by the aforementioned Macgillycuddy's Reeks on the way here yesterday.  That unscheduled stop had eaten into my time at Dunmore Head, although it had been worth the trouble. Today I'd meant to stay up on Ballydavid Head until I could only just about see my way back down again, but the weather had brought that episode to an early end. The same weather that had dusted the mountains in icing sugar and given me something else to be distracted by.  But I decided I could live with that.

What made things particularly interesting was that it was clear on the lower slopes. Only the uppermost parts of the land were sprinkled with snow, while below there were contrasting oranges and browns. By now I was parked on a quiet junction where Slea Head Drive arrived at the road towards Dingle. Now and again a solitary car would pass by, but apart from that I was completely untroubled. With my back to the sea, I jumped up onto the verge and pointed my camera at the ghosts.  The tripod stayed in the car as I trusted my luck with the telephoto lens and the image stabilisation.  After twenty odd minutes I decided I could do no more and set off for Clogher Head, from where the mountains continued to dominate this remote corner of County Kerry.  I stayed there on the headland until it was dark, snaffling the remains of today's provisions and congratulating myself on being such a lucky chap. It was the only full day I had here, and it had been everything I'd hoped for, with a great big ghostly bonus prize in the sky thrown in.

This is an extraordinary place. So much packed into such a small area on this sparsely populated finger of land beyond the town that gives the peninsula its name. The coast is as good as anywhere I've ever been lucky enough to visit with its abundance of cliffs, promontories, untouched beaches, sea stacks and mysterious islands. Yet here alongside it there are mountains, lakes, forests, and the odd waterfall too. A continent in miniature, shielded from the rest of the nation by the ghosts in the sky, clinging onto the edge of Europe, while the untamed Atlantic Ocean charges in from the west.  It's got the lot. I've hardly begun to get my bearings here, let alone learn what else is waiting to be discovered. And this is just one tiny corner of a wild and rugged Ireland, packed with myths and legends that span the centuries back to the dark ages and beyond.  It would take years to even start to see it all.  Trying to decide which bit to visit next time is going to be a heck of a challenge.

Taken in: Ireland / Munster / Ballynavenooragh (show map)

Taken on: November 20, 2024

Tags:

Ireland

Dingle

Mountain

snowy mountains

mountains

Mount Brandon

snow

Eire

telephoto

Canon 100-400 Mk2

landscape

landscape photography

winter

Kerry

County Kerry

moody

mood

drama

Autumn

Canon

Munster « less

Sets appears in: • Ireland 2024 • Mountains

Groups appears in: • Ireland • ...finding ireland... more » • Irish Landscape Photography • Photography Week • MOUNTAIN VISTA • Flickr Social « less

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, 312mm, ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens:	EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	312mm
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 14.0.1 (Windows)
Show full info

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